A/N: The end is near! Not of the world, of this story. Maybe one or two more chapters to wrap it up. I've got an idea for another story and it's eating away at my imagination, so look for a new story soon. Anywho, here is the new chapter. Enjoy!

Let Go- Red

Chapter 8

Let Go

Ashley, being a quicker thinker than I am, falls off the bed and quickly jumps into the closet.

Meanwhile I'm still frozen on my bed.

"Act normal," Ashley hisses.

I quickly grab my book and pretend to be studying just as Cory opens my door. I look up at him and force a smile. He smiles back and walks towards me with his left hand behind his back.

"So you remember I said I had a surprise, right?" he asks.

I laugh at how ironic that question is. How he is bringing a surprise and he ended up surprising me just by showing up.

"Of course," I say still laughing.

He cocks his eyebrow up. "Did I miss something? What's so funny?"

I take a deep breath. "Nothing. Please continue."

"Ok," he says looking confused. Then his eyes light up again. "Anyways, close your eyes."

I look at him for a second but move my book out of my lap and close my eyes. I hear him open a box and then I hear a small gasp from the closet, I don't think he noticed as he picks up my left hand and lightly kisses the back of it. He then slides a cold ring onto my ring finger.

"Open your eyes," he exclaims.

"Oh my God! It's so beautiful!" I squeal.

"And it fits perfectly," he beams.

I stare at it and twist it around my finger. I marvel at the three beautiful diamonds embedded into the silver band.

"These are promise rings," he says, lifting his left hand and showing me his plain silver banded one. "They are to show that I'm serious about this, about us. And to show that I don't plan on having sex unless we are married. Not that I'm talking at all about getting married. I just want you to know that this is more than just a physical thing for me. It's so much more than that."

I can hear the sincerity in his voice and it kills me knowing that this relationship probably won't end well. Knowing that my heart already belongs to Ashley. Knowing that this cross roads that I am at will lead me down two completely different paths. Knowing that there are no take backs, redo's, or u-turns. No way to change the route I take. Even though I already know the path I will choose, it doesn't make this any easier, it doesn't make me any less scared. I'm still torn between who I should be and who I want to be. The woman who marries a man and has two kids or the woman who marries the girl that she is in love with. I already know what I have to do. I have to break up with Cory. But not now. Not right here in this perfect moment. I want to hold onto this memory for all of the rough times that I know will come. I want to make him the happiest I possibly can, because this very well might be one of my last chances. I hope Ashley can understand and won't get upset at my next few actions and words.

I throw my arms around his neck and hold onto him for a few minutes and then pull back.

"Thank you so much baby," I say in the sincerest voice I can muster. "I could not possibly ask for a better boyfriend or friend. You are amazing and you leave me speechless in every little thing you do for me."

I wrap my arms around his neck and stare into his big brown eyes as he wraps his arms around my waist. I can't help but compare his eyes to Ashley's. How hers are so indescribable and his are just there. They are sweet and warm but Ashley's just seem so much deeper.

"I love you," I say as plainly as I can.

"I love you too," he says giving me the softest of kisses.

He then reaches to the back of his neck and unwraps my hands, taking them instead in front of us and entwining or fingers.

"So do you want to hang out for a little while?" he asks.

I glance at my closet and think about just saying no and explaining to Ashley what just happened and why I said those things. But I don't have the heart to say no to him.

"Sure," I grin.

About two hours later Cory is backing out of the driveway. I sprint up the stairs by twos and by the time I reach my door, Ashley is barging out of it.

"Ashley, wait! Just wait a second! I can explain!" I yell, chasing her down the stairs and out into the driveway.

She slowly turns around and I can see the tears streaming down her face.

"I can't play this game Spencer. I can't act like I don't care and look the other way. Either you want me or you want him. Let me know when you make up your mind!" And with that she's gone and I can feel the tears falling freely.

I don't know how long I sat in my driveway crying but by the time I dragged myself back to my room both my parents were in bed, separate beds. Some things will never change. I throw myself on my bed and begin staring at the ceiling, until I hear a knock at my door. I don't even have the energy to say 'come in' so I simply grunt. The door opens slowly and I see a nervous and worried looking Glen.

"I need to talk to you about something," he says in a tone I've never heard him use before. He walks over and sits on my bed as I sit up and rest my back against the headboard. "It's about this," he says tossing a folded piece of paper onto my lap.

"What is it?" I ask in honest clueless ness.

"Just read it," he replies plainly.

I pick up the paper and begin unfolding it.

Dear Spencer,

I love you. Plain and simple. Ever since the first time I met you, I knew you were special and different from everyone else. Everything about you is so intoxicating and I never want my time with you to end. Your eyes are never ending pools of blue that touches my soul with the simplest glance. You hair is a beautiful ray of the sun that cascades around your face, enhancing your timeless beauty. Your laughter warms my heart and makes every fiber in my being tingle with your joy and your happiness. And to know that I can be the one who makes you laugh makes my heart soar. Your touch stops the world from turning, the wind from blowing, and my heart from beating. Your touch calms my every nerve, seizes my very thought, and breaks through my soul. But your smile, oh your smile, your smile could calm raging waters, it could stop any war, and bring anyone to tears. Your smile makes my knees go weak, my heart race, and my mind go numb. Spencer, I love you with everything that I have and everything that I am. My heart shattered when you walked out on me tonight. I know that we would have a hard road ahead of us and I know that you are scared, but whether or not you choose to take that road is up to you. Just know that you do and always will have my heart.

Love Always,

Ashley

As I finish reading, the note falls from my hands and I just sit on my bed completely speechless, completely dumbstruck as my jaw falls open slightly open.

"Spencer."

I blink.

"Spencer."

I feel a gentle hand settle on my arm, and with that simple touch I shatter. The tears that have been kept in for two years fall without resistance. And Glen is still here. Not yelling, not interrogating me, simply comforting me with both of his arms wrapped around me, his thumb lightly rubbing my arm. My head is on his shoulder for what seems like hours, but he never moves. He just waits patiently for me to get it out of my system.

I have never been this open or vulnerable with my brother before. I was always trying to be cool and act tough because that's what he is. But this moment is needed by both of us, to show that it is okay to be like this and that I can trust him and he can trust me.

After one final sniffle I pull away from him and take in the appearance of his now soggy shirt.

"I'm sorry about your shirt," I barely choke out.

"It's okay," he replies. "Besides, girls like a guy who can be sensitive, right?" His attempt to lighten the mood fails miserably.

I simply offer him a warm smile, glad that he at least tried. I start wiping my eyes as we sit there in silence. I look him in the eyes, feeling helpless and scared of what he might say.

"Spence…"

My eyes drop to my mattress as soon as he says my name.

"Spencer, I was really mad when I first found this letter. How could my sister be gay? How could this happen? But as I thought is over, I realized that it's not about me, it's about you. Then I started thinking about how you two had been and the way Ashley looks at you and how your voice changes when talk about her. I thought of all those things and realized that something like that could never be wrong. Spencer, I want you to know that I don't care what you are or what other people think you are, because you are my sister and nothing can ever change that." As I finally look him in the eyes I can see the love and honesty in them. "Never be afraid to be who you are," he finishes.

"I love you Glen," I say enveloping him in a hug.

"I love you too Spencer…But don't ever tell anyone I said that," he says laughing as he walks out of my room.

I go to sleep with my mind swirling with so many thoughts that I want to scream.

The next day, I purposely get to school late so I can avoid what I inevitably have to do to Cory.

There is no one left in the parking lot as Glen parks his car.

"Thanks Glen," I say while grabbing my bag.

"Sure," he says over his shoulder.

I make sure to go to the office and get my tardy slip and then head to English. On my way to class I twist my promise ring around my finger. As I open the door I see Ashley standing up at the front of the class.

"Well hello Miss Carlin," Mr. Wallace says cheerily.

I walk over and give him my tardy slip. I then walk over to my desk and give Chelsea my best 'what is going on' face. She leans over to answer me as I hear Ashley start talking.

"Ashley decided to do her project by herself and go ahead and present it and Mr. Wallace, loving students who 'take the initiative', gave us a speech as to how we should as take Ashley as an example. You already missed half of the presentation."

Chelsea leans back over to her own desk and listens attentively to Ashley, so I decide to do the same.

"…So after waking up to find Romeo dead, Juliet plunges a dagger through her own heart, killing herself. Now I know that there have been a million different interpretations of this play but I like to think that I have somewhat of a different view. What starts out as an innocent crush soon turns into one of the purest love stories that has ever been told." Ashley then shifts her eyes solely to me. "Even though their families hated each other and they were scared, they knew that their love could endure anything. And though they might have been thought of by others to be entirely too young and that they couldn't possibly understand true love, but they knew otherwise. Romeo and Juliet were willing to do anything for the love that they knew was absolutely right and true. They took their own lives because of the loss of the other. Even though they both died, I believe that their love even conquered death itself. They showed that love truly does conquer all. The love they shared conquered death by living on to inspire the world. Some say that love at that young of an age was fake and only seemed real because it was written by a man of an older age. I think differently. I think that William Shakespeare was compelled to write this story because he truly believed that love is blind and unseen by everything except for the two who share it. In closing, I would only like to say one more thing about love. Others cannot taint love, not true love. Love cannot be chosen on command. Love is free-falling from the sky and never wanting a parachute. Love is never wanting to sleep because reality is better than your dreams."

After a long pause she takes a deep breath and starts walking towards me. She stops in front of me and stares me directly in the eyes.

"Love can be forced out of the mind but is never forgotten by the heart."

She stares me in the eyes for a few more seconds then turns towards Mr. Wallace and smiles.

"Ok, I'm done. Any questions?" She looks around the room but I'm pretty sure everyone is equally stunned by her honest presentation.

The silence is broken as Mr. Wallace stands up and starts clapping and as if on cue the rest of the class rises- myself included- and starts clapping.

After a few minutes of the standing ovation the class dies back down and Mr. Wallace begins speaking.

"Ashley Davies, that is quite possibly the best report I have ever heard. You had such an understanding and conviction that it's almost unbelievable. You completely made it your own and it showed. Bravo, bravo," he says as he begins clapping again, this time alone.

Ashley simply returns to her seat, beaming.

As the day progresses on I find my self at lunch. I see Cory waiting for me as usual.

"Where were you this morning?" he asks me.

"You know how Glen is, when he is doing something everything else can wait," I reply.

He just smiles and takes my hand, leading me to the lunch line.

I gently pull out of his grasp. "Actually, I'm not that hungry," I say.

"Ok," he says blankly, continuing walking.

I head over to our table and see Ashley and Chelsea sitting across from each other. I take a deep breath and walk straight to where Ashley is sitting and sit down right beside her. Silence falls over the table. The awkward silence is broken when Cory joins the table and begins joking with Chelsea. In the midst of their bickering, I slide my hand under the table and lay it gently on Ashley's knee. I can see her eyes go wide for a split second but a few seconds later I feel her fingers slowly slide their way on top of my hand. Then one of her fingers brushes across my promise ring and she jerks her hand back as if she had been electrocuted. She stands up and starts talking really fast.

"You know what guys? I don't feel so good. I think I'm gonna go home. See you later." And without waiting for a response she jets away.

"What's wrong with her?" Cory asks through a mouthful of vegetable soup.

I simply shrug my shoulders, feeling completely guilt ridden.

The rest of the day went by in a black and white blur.

As I lean against Glen's car waiting to go home, I think about what to do next. Then, as if God himself had sent me a sign, Cory comes over to me and I immediately know what comes next.

As he opens his mouth to speak I cut him off.

"We need to talk."

:Peeks out from behind keyboard:

What do you think? We need to talk are seriously the four most dreaded words to anyone in a relationship. This one was a little harder for me to write because I suffered from a major case of writer's block. It was horrible not knowing what exactly what to do about the love triangle going on between Spencer, Cory, and Ashley. Also, I have this new story brewing up in my mind and that is taking a lot away from me being able to concentrate on this story, because my new story idea is going to be kind of loosely based on my life...I think. Well that's about all. Thanks!

Reviews?

:Throws keyboard down and hides under desk: